Cam Thomas, a guard for the Nets, expressed frustration on social media, targeting both Ringer’s Zach Lowe and the notion that he plays selfishly with the ball.
“Consensus? F*** consensus with you @zachlowe_nba,” Thomas tweeted on Friday. “This is the same consensus that doesn’t defend me and can’t send double teams right from the jump ball. Why would you double-team a ‘not-so-good’ player? It just doesn’t make sense.”
In response to an NBA retweet that mentioned Lowe discussing him on his podcast, he remarked, “Cam Thomas’ consensus—he has fans, certainly some naysayers, but saying it’s like a pig in an empty-calorie ball is a bit much.”
Thomas has garnered mixed reactions in the NBA landscape. While he has a passionate following, there are also some officials questioning his impact on winning.
This divide often plays out on social media, and now Thomas has entered the fray more directly.
As Brooklyn’s leading scorer, Thomas tends to guard his defensive reputation closely. He’s particularly touchy when it comes to any criticism regarding his gameplay, or the lack thereof.
The 23-year-old shooting guard recently made strides in overcoming a hamstring injury, after managing only 25 games last season, where he notably delivered 10 assists in his last appearance.
He pointed to the Nets’ performance before his injury as proof of his significant contributions.
“This is the last time I’ll address this,” he tweeted. “Empty calories? We were sitting 5th or 6th in the East before the injuries and trades. We aren’t in charge of what the GM decides… And ball hog? I had the second-most assists.”
Thomas reposted after Netswire’s Sharif Phillips-Keaton highlighted Lowe’s critiques, noting that Thomas averaged 24 points and 3.8 assists, with a shooting percentage of at least 43.8% last season.
“No one seems to care because I’m not playing,” Thomas added, punctuating his message with crying emojis.
Currently, Thomas is a restricted free agent and has yet to re-sign with the Nets. General Manager Sean Marks has put forth a qualifying offer of $5.99 million, but reports suggest both sides are not rushing into an agreement.
Sources indicate that Thomas might be aiming for a contract worth $30 million annually, while other league insights suggest that Brooklyn might hesitate to go beyond $10 million for him.
